A lift collapse in Thane has claimed seven lives as the calamity occurred in an under-construction building last week. The mishap happened when the workers were coming down in a 40-storey structure after completing waterproofing work on the terrace. After routine official announcements like ‘those guilty will be punished,’ the tragedy has been almost forgotten like a multitude of them in the past. Let it be fire, building collapse or road accident, our society has become impervious to any outrage. The lift accident is just one more unfortunate incident.
In India, every urban centre has been seeing mushrooming of tall structures while Tire-1 cities are dotted with skyscrapers. There are regulations regarding structural, fire and lift safety. They are totally ignored. In a way, we have become fatalists. For instance, in Mumbai, many buildings have gone up to one hundred floors. But our fire brigade can reach only up to 40 floors. What about the safety of the residents above? Are they left to their destiny? The answer is obvious but none wants to deal with the life-and-death issue seriously. The lifts in Mumbai and Maharashtra are no exception. In view of this, consider the following.
Changes have been made and more specific guidelines have been implemented in Mumbai under the Maharashtra Lifts Act, 1939. Section 4 of the Act mandates that: 1) Permission must first be issued 2) It is obligatory to provide information about the lift type, its mass and density, about the overhead arrangement built, including the weight and dimensions of the beams.
The Act also has detailed provisions about the accident regulations. The cooperative housing societies need to note that if regular elevator servicing is not carried out, the managing committee will be held accountable.
Section 11 from the Lift regulations in India has clearly stated that every lift must be inspected by a state-authorized officer at least once every six months, including the motors’ inspection. According to Section 8 of the Act, the examiner of the lift must issue a written notification in FORM D.
Before installing a lift, the complex, project or the building owner must submit an application to the authorities for a license to erect and operate a lift. The installation and maintenance of the lift by a certified contractor must be done in order that the license is approved. The post-installation test is required to satisfy the safety and security purposes. The lift annual license renewal is also necessary.
As per the Act, all residential structures with four or more floors above ground require a lift with proper equipment. From the ground floor, a lift with a nominal capacity of six people must be available. The National Building Code stipulations may change the number of lifts in a unit. Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) of a lift is needed for safety and convenience and is not optional. An eight-passenger lift with automated doors and enough speed to reach the top level within 60 seconds is required for buildings taller than 15 meters. Moreover, they must be in line with the other standards outlined in the Fire Protection Act. There are Bureau of Indian Standards code regulations for installing mirrors inside of the lifts, too.
Surprisingly, there is no Centralised regulation. Hence, each state has its own code for lift regulations. As a result, the Lifts Act fails to be effective. Nonetheless, there are a number of criteria that a builder must adhere to in order for installing a lift. Thankfully, organisations like the Department of Indian Norms BIS are making efforts to change the situation.
Maharashtra routinely witnesses several fatal life mishaps due to life malfunctioning or collapses. An estimated one lakh lifts are operational in the Mumbai metropolitan region while about 60000 of the lifts are in Mumbai metropolis, according to official statistics though it could be far away from the reality.
Under the present arrangement, electrical inspector (lifts) under the energy department of Maharashtra government oversee the functioning of the lifts, their quality and maintenance. Their task begins right from the installation of the lifts. The inspectors also handle investigations of lift accidents.
According to one finding, almost 70 percent of the lift accidents occur due to badly maintained lifts while the remaining 30 percent are caused by human error. About a dozen safeguards in lifts get activated during emergencies to ensure user safety.
More and more precautions are being in-built nowadays. For instance, the safety mechanisms are such that a lift should not spiral down or collapse even if its cable snaps. Mechanisms like lift brakes ensure that the lift stops at the closest floor and doors open automatically for people to exit during a mechanical failure or power failure.
In spite of such measures, lift accidents happen because of long periods of wear and tear of safety mechanisms. Untrained lift mechanics are not able to detect such problems at an early stage. The result is major problems in the future. Although the government mandates that only certified lift mechanics must be hired for regular maintenance of lifts, the directive is ignored.
In general, residents tend to view lift maintenance as uncalled for expenditure, without realising the risks involved. In a bid to a little amount of money, they expose themselves to risking their lives or eventually end up spending much more, experts point out. The tendency to cut costs by housing is emerging as the main cause of lack of lift safety. Housing societies want good lifts without shelling out money on their regular care. They try to avoid replacing spare parts regularly or prefer to go in for cheaper replacements. Most buildings summon lift mechanics only after breakdowns, they lament. For example, though a wire rope that pulls the lifts needs to be replaced every 15 years, old cables are kept in use for many more years. Also, the lift brake fuels which halt a lift at the closest floor during breakdowns are seldom checked or changed. Therefore, the brakes do not function adequately during emergencies.
Unfortunately, there is no standardized rate card for life upkeep. Hence, it is not economically feasible for small societies to appoint a lift operator. The lift breakdowns become costly for them. In Mumbai, a lift technician charges Rs 2500 for every visit and an additional Rs 2500 for any extra work such as getting spare parts as there is no regulation.
At the end of the day, lack of strict supervision by government officials is often overlooked. They fail to follow up with on-site visits about the status of badly maintained lifts. Officials fail to ensure that the repairs required are carried out before issuing a fresh certificate of lift worthiness.
A Column By
Dilip Chaware – Senior Editor
A media professional for 43 years, with extensive experience of writing on
a variety of subjects; he is also a documentary producer and book author.
